The Live Crime Blotter, May 16-30, 2011

The following incident and arrest information was compiled using official documents, reports and affidavits obtained from government and law enforcement agencies. This feature is not inclusive. It is a sampling of reported incidents in the Flagler County area. Note: The U.S. legal system provides the presumption of innocence to those charged with a crime until guilt is proven in a court of law.

The previous crime report is available here.

Burglary at Imagine School Construction Site

When Dean Goodart, a Lakeland-based construction supervisor working on the Imagine School expansion project in Town Center, arrived there the morning of May 23, he noticed the noticed the front gate leading to the school property had been partially opened. He thought it was opened by the crane crew that had arrived earlier. But he also noticed that the side gate leading into the construction area was open, and and the padlock had been cut off. He told an investigating sheriff’s deputy that the construction office was pried open and a number of tools were missing. Goodart was unable to provide a list of tools taken but estimated the value of the stolen items at more than $10,000. The items included a hammer drill, a heat gun, a band saw and a rotary drill, among other items. Floyd Oliver, another worker on site, reported to the deputy that he was missing every tool from the construction site. Lawrence Robar, who works for Altier Mechanical at the job site, stated that when he arrived for work that morning he noticed the padlock on a company trailer cut off and all tools stored inside stolen. An attempt was made to dust areas of the metal fence for prints, but no latent prints were found. The deputy also observed possible truck tire marks leading into the side gate to the construction area where the padlock had been cut off. No suspects or vehicles are known.

Fleeing and Eluding a Cop All the Way Home

A deputy on patrol on May 22 was driving northbound on Corporate Drive in Palm Coast when he came to a stop behind a 2000 Chevrolet 4 door stopped at a red light. The car was driven by Mary Gough, 56, of Wellham Lane in Palm Coast. She suddenly made a left turn onto Palm Coast Parkway while the light was still red, causing westbound traffic to brake, according to the deputy’s report. The deputy goes on: “I activated my emergency lights and siren in an attempt to stop the vehicle for a traffic violation. The vehicle continued westbound and made no attempt to stop. M. Gough proceeded to the turn lane that enters Saint Joe Plaza but made a U-turn eastbound and continued to ignore my lights and siren. M. Cough then entered the turn lane at Brushwood Land at which time I maneuvered my fully marked police vehicle next to M. Cough’s vehicle so she could see it was a law enforcement vehicle and to see inside for any possible medical issues. M. Gough looked at me with a scowl face, then drove away making another U-turn to proceed westbound on Palm Coast Parkway. M. Cough drove her vehicle around another vehicle making a left turn onto Pine Lakes Parkway and continued southbound. I followed behind with my patrol vehicle’s emergency lights and siren activated while M. Cough made several other turns onto various streets until she drove into the driveway of a duplex at 8A Wellham Lane. The garage door opened and M. Cough drove her vehicle forcefully into the garage, her front bumper striking the back wall of the garage, and started closing the garage door. I quickly exited my patrol vehicle and ran through the open garage door before it could close which made the door stop. Other units arrived on scene as I gave verbal commands to exit the vehicle. M. Cough had locked the doors and was refusing to exit. M. Cough was yelling from inside the vehicle that l had no right to stop her and that I was following her all the way from McDonald’s. I noticed a Wendy’s bag on the passenger seat in which M. Cough was eating french fries from. At times M. Gough was reaching in and around her seat and console area. I informed M. Cough that she was under arrest to come out or I would be forced to break the window to gain entry. She said ‘go ahead’ and at that time I instructed Deputy Nance to break the rear drivers side window. Once the window was broken, Deputy Nance reached in to unlock the door so I can open it and gain control of M. Cough’s hands. M. Cough was secured without injury. A med unit arrived to check for any medical issues at which time she refused to talk to the EMT personnel. M. Gough was advised of her charges of Fleeing and Eluding and Resisting Arrest Without Violence and transported to the Flagler County Inmate Facility by Deputy Chambers.”

Conjugal Fight Lands Wife in Jail

The evening of May 22, a deputy was dispatched to a report of a domestic fight where Zane Lamm, 33, stated he’d been in a physical altercation with his wife, Karen Lamm. Zane had left the residence but said that Karen was threatening to harm herself. The deputy first made contact with Karen at the residence to check her welfare and speak with her. The deputy reports: “Karen advised that she had been in a verbal altercation with Zane due to marital problems and him seeking an injunction for protection against her. Karen advised that Zane never made any threats to harm her and the altercation never became physical. She also advised that she did not threaten to harm herself and had no intention of it. I determined that Karen was not a threat to herself at that time. Karen was given an opportunity to complete a voluntary written statement but she refused. I then made contact with Zane who advised that he was arguing with Karen while they were in their bedroom, due to marital problems and him seeking an injunction for protection against her. Zane advised that the argument escalated and Karen began pushing him. The argument continued to escalate and Karen struck Zane on the left side of his face with a closed fist. Zane then left the residence and called the Sheriff’s Office. During my investigation, I observed that Zane’s left cheek area below his eye was red and swollen. Zane advised that he wished to pursue charges on Karen and signed a charging affidavit. Zane was provided a domestic rights pamphlet. Karen was placed under arrest for domestic battery and transported to the inmate facility without incident.”

When an Uncurbed Dog Licks an Off-Duty Cop at Waterfront Park

Before 1 p.m. on May 22, On May 22, Flagler County Sheriff Deputy Nathan Koep was off duty, relaxing at Waterfront Park‘s fishing dock when a dog came up to him and started licking his leg. The deputy said he politely asked Randall Schartel, 58, of Bannerwood Lane in Palm Coast, to curb his dog. That triggered a verbal argument, according to a sheriff’s report. Koep says Schartel started yelling, had a beer bottle in his hand and acted as though he was going to strike the deputy with it. Schartel’s friend, Paolo Nasti, 67, of Rylin Lane in Palm Coast, held him back and suggested he calm down. Schartel said the verbal argument started because his dog got off his leash and he didn’t like the way the deputy asked him to put him back on a leash. That deputy said words were exchanged and admitted to “saying some stuff.” The reporting deputy could smell alcohol coming from that deputy’s breath as he spoke, according to the sheriff’s report. That deputy told the reporting deputy he’d had two beers in the park, and claimed not to know that it was illegal, because there were no signs. There is, however, a sign at the entrance of the park forbidding alcohol in there. Schartel and Nasti, according to the report, had two 12-ounce bottles of Amber Bach beer and eleven 12-ounce bottles of Budweiser. They were an issued notice to appear for having alcohol in a city park. Schartel was issued a city citation for not having his dog on a leash.

Car Window Smashed While Owner Was Shopping at Wine and Cheese Shoppe

The Hammock Beach Wine and Cheese Shoppe is located on a quiet stretch of North Ocean Shore Boulevard, also known as State Road A1A. The evening of May 22, a customer was in the shop for about 30 minutes. When she came out, she discovered that someone had smashed the window on her 2002 Mercury Cougar and taken her white, silver-studded purse she’d left on the passenger side seat. Several credit cards and her driver’s license were in the purse. So were house keys, two cell phone chargers and her birth certificate.

Bicycle Thievery

The afternoon of May 22 Michael Barns, 21, of Perth Place in Palm Coast was arrested and jailed on a charge of petit theft. He was seen on Palm Coast Parkway riding a bicycle with a second bicycle in tow, and claimed he’d found it in a garage near Papa John’s. He said he thought the bicycle was trash because it was next to a garbage can and had a flat tire. Neither facts proved true, according to a sheriff’s report. The bicycle, as it turns out, had actually belonged to a Kangaroo employee (at the 1501 Palm Coast Parkway location).

Other Burglaries and Larcenies And Losses

• Burglary reported on May 23 at 80 Ulaturn Trail in Palm Coast. A Hewlett-Packard computer, jewelry and other miscellaneous items were reported stolen.
• Burglary reported at 50 Buttermill Dr. in Palm Coast, on May 22. Jewelry, video games and computers were stolen. The house was accessed through a medium-size dog door at the rear of the house.
• $76 worth of meat reported stolen from a freezer at a house at 142 Espanola Road in Bunnell on May 22.
• Larceny reported at 17 Rolland Lane in Palm Coast on May 22, where a Disney wallet, a car stereo and a Florida driver’s license were stolen from a picup truck and amother car parked there. Both vehicles were unlocked.
• Larceny reported at 19 Rolland Lane in Palm Coast on May 22 (see above item), where a GPS power cord, a cellular phone charger, a baseball cap and a radar detector were stolen from a Dodge pick-up truck parked there. The pick-up was left unlocked.
• Residential burglary reported at 35 Perthshire Lane on May 21.
• Wallet and credit cards stolen from a Toyota SUV parked at the Elk’s Club on Old Kings Road the evening of May 21. The car was left unlocked.
• Mail reported stolen by a resident who witnesssed the theft, at 110 Whitehall Drive in Palm Coast, by people in a later-model black pick-up truck, on May 21.
• Oxycodone bottle and Zippo lighter valued at $100 stolen from a Chevrolet truck parked by a trail on County Road 2007. The car owner reported that the vehicle may have been left unlocked.
• Toools and equipment stolen from storage compartments in a 2011 GMC work truck parked at 5910 East State Road 100 on May 19.
• Dozens of valuables, including watches, currency, a cell phone, a television, and camera equipment stolen from a house at 12 Regency Drive in Palm Coast on may 19. The house was also ransacked, and accessed through a smashed window in back.
• GPS and radar detector valued at $600 stolen from a vehicle at 3 Buffalo Grove Drive the evening of May 23. The vehicle was left unlocked.

DUI Arrests

• Paul L. Schroeder, 42, of Frederick St. in Hastings, Fla., arrested May 21 on Palm Harbor Parkway.